[Evelyn_the_boy]

Is it sympathetic to IDF soliders? or the usual Arab kiss ass film favorite by Israeli left? Does any one see it?



AlJazeera hosts a special screening of "Beaufort" ( On Israel's withdrawal from the south of Lebanon in 2000)


Watch AlJazeera special screening here:

At AlJazeeraEnglish film programme one Lebanese woman in the audience to the Israeli film director:

"I was literally shaking after watching it and I think part of the reasons because I really did feel in a sense that you made heroes out of these men (Israeli soldiers). I think you were trying get us to forget the fuct that they are occupiers... by leaving these enemy ( Hezbollah) as invisible as just as an enemy I think you left out a large part of the story."

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3497523,00.html

Israeli war movie 'Beaufort' nominated for Oscar


Rare achievement for local cinema as film depicting last days of military occupation of Lebanon by Joseph Cedar lands nomination for Best Foreign Film at US Academy Awards. First for an Israeli movie since 1984

Ynet Published: 01.22.08, 17:54 / Israel Culture

The race for the 80th annual Academy Awards kicked off on Tuesday with the announcement of the final nominees vying for the coveted Oscar statuette in 24 categories.

Israeli film 'Beaufort', directed by Joseph Cedar and based on the best-selling novel 'If Heaven Exists' by journalist Ron Leshem is among the five films nominated for Best Foreign Film.

The movie centers on a unit of IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon in the lead-up to Israel's withdrawal from the territory in 2000.

However Beaufort's journey to the prestigious awards has been fraught with controversy. After loosing to Eran Kolirin's 'The Band's Visit' at the Israeli Film Academy Awards Ceremony, it fell out of the Oscar's run. But after further reviewing 'The Band's Visit', the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences ruled it was ineligible to participate as its percentage of English-language dialogue was too high.

Beaufort, as the runner-up, replaced Kolirin's film amidst rumors that the war movie's producers had been the ones to point out the potential ineligibility of their former competitors.

Cedar has already picked up the Best Director award at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Beaufort is the seventh Israeli picture to advance so far in the Oscars race, it was preceded by 'Sallah Shabati' (1965), The Policeman (1971), I Love You Rosa (1972), The House on Chelouche Street (1973), Operation Thunderbolt (1977) and Beyond the Walls (1984).

Beaufort will be competing against 'The Counterfeiters' (Austria), 'Katyn' (Poland), 'Mongol' (Kazakhstan) and '12' (Russia).

The Beaufort Movie Trailer

[Oxymoron]

Israel should have never withdrawn, if you give an inch to the Islamist they want a mile.

[Nets]

Oxy, I'd question the manner in which it was done but getting the hell out of Lebanon was the best think Barak did in office. It was a stupid invasion in 1982 and it was a stupid occupation for the next 18 years that accomplished nothing.

A pointless war that just meant a steady trickle of Israeli deaths, and for what? Was Hezbollah stopped? No.'

Edit: I am really looking forward to this movie. I'm still trying to track down a copy of The Band's Visit as well.

[War Angel]

Israel should have never withdrawn, if you give an inch to the Islamist they want a mile.

We have little business being in Lebanon. There are no Jews there to protect, and it has never been a part of Israel, as far as I know.

Our withdrawal, however, was shameful in its conduct (not the fact we left, though). We left too much equipment there, and totally forgot that Hizballah was still there, so we were ill-prepared for their assault in July, 2006.

Anyway, I've never watched this movie, but I read and loved the book (called 'im yesh gan eden' in Hebrew, translating into 'if there's a paradise'), and loved it. I was told the movie did not portray the book's most important aspect - the protagonist's love and devotion to his soldiers, and their relationships.

Also, the fact that the freaking leading role was given to God-damned draft dodger brings a really bitter, ironic taste to the whole thing. I might download it, though. :P